UP govt narrative of protecting perpetrators of crimes against women has emboldened them: Priyanka

New Delhi, Oct 13: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday slammed the Yogi Adityanath dispensation over alleged pouring of a chemical on three sisters in Gonda, saying the Uttar Pradesh government’s “politically motivated” narrative of "protecting" and justifying perpetrators of crimes against women has emboldened them.

Three sisters suffered burn injuries when someone allegedly poured a chemical on them while they were sleeping on the roof of their house in Paksa village of Gonda, police said on Tuesday. The three are undergoing treatment at the district hospital and they are out of danger, according to doctors.

Tagging a video in which the father of the girls is narrating the incident to media persons, Priyanka Gandhi tweeted, "This man’s three daughters aged 17, 10 & 8 were asleep in their home when someone entered and threw acid on them."

"The UP government’s politically motivated narrative of justifying and protecting perpetrators of crimes against women has only emboldened criminals across the state," she said. Superintendent of Police Shailesh Kumar Pandey said the incident took place on Monday night when the girls were sleeping on the roof of their house.

An unidentified person poured a chemical on the eldest girl and some of it fell on her younger sisters as well who were also sleeping with her. Asked if it was an acid attack, the SP said, "The chemical used in the attack is yet to be ascertained. It will be clear after a probe by experts."

The Congress has also been attacking the UP government over the Hathras incident in which a 19-year-old Dalit woman from the district was allegedly raped and attacked by four men. She later succumbed to injuries at a Delhi hospital.

The Yogi Adityanath government is fighting severe criticism for its handling of the Hathras case, particularly after the local police cremated the woman's body at night allegedly without the family's approval. However, officials said the cremation was done "as per the wishes of the family". The probe into the case has been taken over by the CBI.